And why not. In this era of expensive fuel, you might take a liking to the car's relatively good gas mileage and redesigned hood (which spiffs up an otherwise humdrum body design) and decide to make it your next family car or train car or I-am-still-paying-off-student-loans car.

Here's the four-door sedan and, yes, that is our esteemed Boston in the background. Different bumper heights and sizes and a new collision system trump up your chances against a large SUV in the event of a collision.

The 2008 Honda Accord is available with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 268-horsepower, which Honda says it the most horsepower it's ever put in an Accord. Honda says this will get 19 in the city and 29 on the highway. While that's no diesel Honda Accord, which gets 62.8 mpg, or a Volvo that gets 52 mpg, it's a start.

Here'e the basic rundown of what's going to be available for the 2008 Honda Accord models.

Dare I point out that the Accord Coupe EX-L does come in a V-6 with a 6-speed manual transmission. Come on, you have to learn stick at some point. You might as well learn on a car that will not cost you an arm and a leg to repair when you screw it up. Think of it as your starter sports car.

The other Accord sedan or coupe models, depending on engine choice, come with either a 5-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission.

Here's the interior of the Accord Coupe EX. Notice the on-board navigation.

And since you are already being so virtuous by considering a sensible and fuel-efficient car over something fun and dangerous, why not go for horsepower and the premium package. Here's the interior of the 2008 Honda Accord LX-P.

About the author

In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
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